Christmas in America
by armybro8
Summary: Egoist AU. Hiroki knows that Nowaki is in America. It should be just a simple, romantic holiday vacation for the two of them...but when Hiroki meets a strange woman on the flight over, he ends up being in for a lot more than he bargained for.
1. Preparation

**Egoist AU—Hiroki knows that Nowaki is in America. Hiroki didn't want him to be alone for the holidays, so…**

**Christmas in America**

**X X X**

"I really need to go now, Hiro-san, I have class in less than twenty minutes."

A static-filled sigh filled the other side of the line. "Alright. Hey, I'll be at the school all day tomorrow, so I'm not sure exactly when we can talk again."

"That's fine. I love you."

"…I love you too. Have fun, and study hard."

"I will. Good night."

"'Night."

The dial tone cut through Hiroki's ear like a knife as Nowaki was cut off from him. He slowly brought the phone down from his ear, absent-mindedly thumbing the black plastic casing before finally pressing down on the rubbery "END" button. The near weightless receiver felt unbelievably heavy in Hiroki's hand as he placed it back on the large base unit.

Hiroki stood up quickly, marching over to the small wooden dining table that seemed to take up nearly half the kitchen space. A small notebook was the only thing that lay on the tabletop—inside was a long checklist that had been checked off and scrawled through a number of times.

"Let's go through one more time…" Hiroki mumbled to himself, grabbing a pen from a countertop basket where he usually kept a plethora of writing utensils. "All of the perishable food is gone, I cleaned the countertops and the bathroom, my term paper was turned in to Professor Yamaguchi this morning," Hiroki was pacing around the apartment as he checked the list off one by one, "I went to the bank, picked up some snacks for the flight, just took a shower, the alarm is set, packed my luggage—better make sure one last time that I have everything."

Hiroki placed the list off to his right and unzipped his bulky maroon roll-along, breezing through the list of clothing and toiletries for the second time today. A down jacket, thick gloves and snow boots seemed to take up half the space—but the forecast predicted a heavy snowstorm, so Hiroki wanted to be doubly prepared for the weather.

It was hardly a secret that Hiroki was extremely excited for this trip—the man had been planning since the end of October, between finding cheap plane fares and beginning to pack on the first day of December. Now that his flight was in less than twelve hours, Hiroki was practically bouncing off the walls.

"Now, carry-on items." Hiroki closed the over-stuffed bag and sat it upright, using it as leverage to push himself up so he could double-check his carry-on. "Passport, boarding passes, wallet with traveler's checks and American dollars, laptop is inside of its padded case, snacks, gum, both books, camera, and the neck pillow will be my other carry-on. Everything looks good," Hiroki stated proudly, zipping the backpack up and placing it atop the larger roll-along luggage case.

"Flight 2826 to New York, Gate A12," Hiroki recited to himself, "Departs at 8:00 AM on Friday, December 22nd, and should arrive at around 7:00 AM on Friday, December 22nd…" Hiroki chuckled at how the time difference and total flight hours would cause him to "travel back in time".

"And finally, last minute stuff is written on a sticky note, which is on the door. Turn off the heat, lock the doors, and turn off the lights." Hiroki dropped the list on the table with a proud exhale; everything was running perfectly. When his watch beeped just a moment later, Hiroki glanced down to check it. The digital clock read 9:00—better get to sleep soon, he thought. He had a plane to catch in less than 11 hours.

**X X X**

_**To be continued…**_

**Please review! I whipped up this idea a couple weeks ago and have been toying with it in my mind. It's my first multi-chapter piece, and I'd like to know if you guys like the idea so far. I know it's not exactly a huge attention grabber to start, but you gotta start somewhere, and I've already almost finished the next two chapters. It gets better, if you know what I mean. ;) I'll probably post the next chapter up as soon as I finish re-editing it. Expect something relatively soon…**

**Oh! And don't be scared to point out any grammatical errors. I'm not perfect and don't use beta readers ('cause they've ditched me three too many times), so I'm bound to miss a couple things. **


	2. Getting There

**I don't own Junjo Romantica or anything else mentioned in this story…I merely use them as a pawn in my sexual games.**

**Thanks for the all reviews! I love and appreciate each and every one of them. I'm very pleased to hear that people still like me despite me not updating…ever. Also (not to push ya'll or anything), reviews really give me a boost of inspirational energy. I'll never beg for reviews, but I can almost guarantee you—the more reviews I receive, the quicker new chapters will be published. But even if I don't get reviews, I'll still do my best to update every few days. (The problem with me updating quickly is that I have a system—write the story. While editing the first version, re-write it so it's more descriptive/better word choice. Then, I tend to scrap that one and start all over again. On average, I start over a couple times before I actually publish it. I also read over it and re-edit 2 or 3 times. If you couldn't tell, I'm a totally anal perfectionist.) …no pun intended.**

**Also, that K+ rating…wouldn't it _technically_ be okay for me to keep that despite the impending lemon? I mean…Mature is _technically_ K+. Even if I just bumped it up to T.**

**Food for thought.**

**X X X**

The following morning, Hiroki's alarm went of at 5 AM sharp, just as he had planned. The alarm clock was on the opposite end of the room on purpose, so that Hiroki always had to get up to turn it off, lest he just press "snooze" and immediately fall back asleep.

Rubbing his eyes, Hiroki sat up and yawned before crossing the room to turn off the dreaded alarm. Hiroki had a specific time-table set up in his mind—Narita Airport was only a 15-20 minute drive through the city, but Hiroki wanted to leave himself with some extra time to check in, get through security, and still have time to get something to eat (or at least some coffee) once he got to the terminal. Not to mention, so close to the holidays, the airport was guaranteed to be packed.

Hiroki busied himself with shimmying on a comfortable pair of jeans as he spoke to the cab company. "Yes, hi, I would like a cab to Narita Airport, my address is…" Damn, it was hard to button your pants with one hand! "My flight leaves at 7... Wow, 10 minutes? No, that sounds great. Thank you."

After pulling on a long red V-neck sweater over his white t-shirt, Hiroki went searching for a pair of shoes. They needed to be somewhat warm and comfortable, but also easy to get on and off for the security check point. After several moments of serious deliberation he settled on a sleek pair of white sneakers, which he assumed he'd have to change out of the moment he got to New York—apparently, there was already a few inches of snow on the ground.

Hiroki went to the bathroom quickly before venturing to drag his ridiculously heavy suitcase out into the entryway. He returned to the bedroom to throw on a warm outer jacket, and grab his carry-on items before turning off the lights. The thermostat was turned off, and Hiroki double-checked that the door was locked before exiting out into the deserted hallway. The small stairwell wasn't nearly as bad going down as it eventually would be going up—but Hiroki didn't want to think about that part quite yet. _Just focus on getting to Nowaki for the time being_.

Either the cab company was surprisingly efficient, or Hiroki was much slower than he thought; because not thirty seconds after Hiroki reached the bottom of the stairs, a bright yellow cab was pulling up to the curb.

"Great timing, I just got down here," Hiroki said lightly in an attempt to make a friendly atmosphere.

The cab driver laughed. "Perfect. Need help with your bag?"

"Yeah…this thing's really heavy."

The driver hopped out and grabbed the bag, trying to drag it to the curb. "Jeez, what'd you pack, bricks?"

"Feels like it. But I heard it's supposed to snow where I'm going, so I just wanted to be prepared."

"So you packed a furnace."

This time, Hiroki laughed. "Basically."

Once the bag was secured in the trunk, Hiroki jumped into the back and the driver got in the front. "So, Narita, correct?"

"Yes."

"Where're ya headed?" the cabbie asked, checking his mirrors before pulling out into the dark city street.

"America. New York City, specifically."

"That's cool; never been there. Got family there or something?"

"My…friend is studying abroad there. I got a really good round-trip faire, so I'll just mooch off of him for a few days instead of staying in a hotel."

"I see."

It was silent after that. As they weaved in and out of the downtown traffic, Hiroki watched the sky as it gradually changed from a dark blue to a beautiful streaked orange. Hiroki's breath fogged up the window as he leaned his head up against the side. Just as he shut his eyes and started drifting off ever so slightly, the cabbie spoke again.

"What airline?"

"American Airlines, which should be in Terminal 2."

Hiroki didn't realize how easy it was to get to Narita from his apartment building—they had barely been on the road for fifteen minutes. The driver veered right into the drop-off area for Terminal 2 Airlines. Luckily, American Airlines was one of the first drop-off zones, so Hiroki wouldn't have to hike a mile back to the security check point.

"Thanks for your help," Hiroki said as he handed a small tip, along with the cab faire, to the driver.

"Have a safe trip."

"Thank you."

It was a bit of a struggle, but Hiroki managed to wedge his bag out of the trunk of the cab. He dreaded the thought of getting that thing out of baggage claim.

Curb-side check-in saved Hiroki a_ load_ of time; apparently, dozens of oblivious travelers were either unaware or just incredibly stupid, because the actual baggage check line inside the building was out the wazoo. It wasn't _that_ cold outside.

Hiroki veered left, hoping that the line for security wasn't as bad as baggage check.

It was, however; and he should've known better. Security was always a nightmare. Hiroki mindlessly glanced around the large, crowded airport, impatiently tapping his foot as he held his driver's license and boarding pass in one hand. Stupid first-timers would arrive at the desk without the necessary components and hold up the line even more as they dug through their ridiculously large carry-on. Hiroki cursed each and every one of them.

As the line progressed and the check-point grew nearer, Hiroki found himself ogling over the attractive TSA officer that bore a remarkably close resemblance to Nowaki. The haircut was similar and their physiques were identical; had it not been for the brown eyes and slighter nasal bridge, Hiroki would've bet money that it was Nowaki checking boarding passes. Despite the fact that it definitely was _not_ Nowaki, Hiroki still had a tough time not blushing as he handed over his ID and boarding pass.

"Thank you," the officer said. Nope, definitely not Nowaki—the voice was way too deep.

"T-thanks."

Hiroki wiped invisible sweat off his forehead as he prepared to take off his shoes. He emptied his pockets and took off his belt, mentally cursed the family of six in front of him that had been holding up the line with their slow, tired kids. Just put their jackets and shoes in the damn bin and shove them through the metal detector; was it really that difficult!

After what seemed like an eternity, the large family was finally all through, and Hiroki breezed through like a seasoned pro. Unlike the other inconsiderate travelers around him, Hiroki emptied his bins quickly and stacked them up for the security officers before moving out into an open area to reassemble himself, rather than clogging up the exit like everyone else. After packing his laptop away and slipping his shoes back on, Hiroki checked his phone; it was still 6:02AM. Hiroki had a good half-hour until they started pre-boarding; may as well grab some coffee.

The line was ridiculous, as they all were, but Hiroki didn't mind. What else would he be doing for the next half-hour, anyway? Sitting and watching the planes go in and out? May as well do something _mildly_ productive.

By the time Hiroki had gotten his coffee and sat down to enjoy it, it was nearing 6:30. Hiroki didn't bother getting comfortable or getting anything out, because he was part of the first-class boarding group. (Hiroki didn't care how much it cost; he didn't want to be stuck back in coach with all the riff-raff for 13 hours.) Then, as if on cue, a female employee stepped up to the podium and announced for the first set of boarding to be lining up.

While Hiroki stood in line and waited for the call to enter, he took a survey of the people he'd be sharing a cabin with for the next 13-hours. Mostly older and middle-aged couples filled the line, and there wasn't a trace of children, much to Hiroki's relief. Eventually, the airport employee ushered them into the hall like cattle, eyeing Hiroki as they passed by each other. Hiroki rolled his eyes as he waited for the line to clear out and was able to make his way to his seat.

His seat number was 14-A, so he was stuck towards near the rear of the cabin alongside a friendly, middle-aged businesswoman, which was fine with him. Hiroki was far from what you'd call outgoing, but the woman—whose name he quickly learned was Tanaka—had a certain air around her that he found surprisingly easy to converse with.

After exchanging formalities, for lack of anything better to do, they discussed why they were headed to New York.

"My husband has to fly to Germany while I'll be stuck in New York. He's a head-hunter, so he'll be stuck there for a few days while he convinces a couple people to move to the Japanese branch. And I have day-long meetings about moving our advertising agency to New York. I don't know if either of us will be back in time for New Year's," Tanaka sighed.

"That stinks. Do both of you have to travel a lot?"

"Not really, it just happened so that we both had to travel around the holidays. It stinks…but enough about me. What about you? Why are you headed to New York?"

Hiroki laughed awkwardly and leaned back in his seat further. "Well, my friend is studying abroad there, and I wanted to visit them for the holidays."

"_Friend,_ huh?" Tanaka laughed. "More like, _girlfriend?_"

"No," Hiroki said, laughing awkwardly as he crossed his legs. "Not my girlfriend."

"Fiancé? Wife?"

Hiroki shook his head.

"Well, you must be pretty close if you're flying half-way across the world to spend the holidays with her."

"It's not a girl," Hiroki replied in a tone that even surprised him. The plane door was closed as one of the stewardesses ushered the final passengers on.

The woman cocked an eyebrow. "Oh. So, boyfriend?"

At that, Hiroki's eyes bugged out of his skull.

Tanaka smirked, clasping her hands together and leaning back in her plush seat. "Ah, so I was right."

"No, no, no. I never said they were my boyfriend."

"Your reaction gave you away instantly. So, you're off to visit your boyfriend?"

"SHHH!" Hiroki reprimanded. "Not so loud!"

Smiling, Tanaka leaned in closer to whisper, "Okay. So, you're off to visit him…?"

"…Yes," Hiroki answered, unable to look at her as he said it.

"Does he live in New York?"

"No, but h-he's kind of…studying abroad there for a year."

Tanaka smiled fondly. "That's sweet. You must miss him a lot."

"Of course not!" Hiroki whisper-yelled. "But…you know…he's an orphan, so he'd be alone otherwise, so I have to go."

"Wow, an orphan?"

"Yeah. It never seems to bother him, though."

"…what's his name?"

Hiroki eyed her as she continued to watch him with kind blue eyes. There was something about those eyes that struck Hiroki as familiar.

"…Why are you so interested? Don't you think I'm weird or gross or something? Most people do."

Tanaka pulled back and buckled her seatbelt at the stewardess's request. "No, I don't. I was just curious, because you seem very nice, and you aren't one of those stereotypical flamboyant guys."

"His name is Kusama Nowaki."

"Wait, Kusama is an orphanage, right? He took the orphanage's name?" Tanaka seemed quite familiar with this particular subject.

"Well, yeah."

"Do you happen to have a picture of him?"

"Yeah, but it's on my phone, and we're not supposed to have those on while we ascend."

"…Okay. Oh, I guess we are getting ready to take off," Tanaka observed, glancing out the window as the runway came closer and closer.

Before Hiroki say anything else, Tanaka had already turned her full attention to the chunky stewardess giving safety procedures. Hiroki sighed. It was going to be a _long_ flight.

_**To be continued…**_

**X X X**

**Hmm. This went a different direction than I originally planned…but as I wrote the idea kinda came out…it may be a nice addition of interest to the story. Another mildly slow chapter, I know...but the juicy stuff's a-coming, I swear. **

**The memory of traveling is fresh in my mind, as I just flew back home a few days ago from Florida. Unfortunately I've only flown on Southwest Airlines, so I know next to nothing about first-class. So if I got anything wrong, let me know! I NEED to be as accurate as possible.**

**Like always; please review and don't be afraid to point out grammatical errors! **


	3. Arrival

**I don't own Junjo Romantica or anything else mentioned in this story…I merely use them as a pawn in my sexual games.**

**Anon- oh, is that what you think? :) Well, you're going to have to stay tuned to find out…**

**Rin- I didn't quite make that quite as clear as I should have: Nowaki is unaware that Hiroki is coming. **

**Unfortunately, I'm very lazy and won't be able to answer all the great reviews you lovely readers have left for me…but thank for all of your wonderful support! My goal is to have this finished by Christmas, since the title _is_ "Christmas in America"…But I'm not sure how many chapters long this will be. I'm guestimating that there will be more than a dozen chapters, but it depends on how long I allow each chapter to be. But good news! A sudden bout of inspiration has suddenly given me a new lead. I'M SO EXCITED!**

**X X X**

Throughout the flight, Tanaka and Hiroki joked and talked and laughed as if they had known each other for years rather than hours. When jokes and complaints about the flight were put aside momentarily, Tanaka would often spring up a random question about Nowaki. Hiroki didn't really mind answering the questions anymore, but he found many of the questions rather odd, considering they had just met and the person in question wasn't even present or really relevant in any way. Many of them dealt with how Nowaki grew up, along with his merits and many jobs. His gut feeling told him something about Tanaka, something that he didn't really wish to question—so rather than ask and make the remainder of the flight incredibly awkward, Hiroki waited for Tanaka to mention it, on the off chance she ever did. Besides, what was the chance that your orphan boyfriend's biological mother would sit beside you on the plane, then have the gumption to ask about her abandoned son? _Maybe it was the weird-tasting chicken they'd served for lunch…_

"Kamijo-san, does Kusama-san ever talk about his biological parents?" Tanaka asked, momentarily breaking Hiroki's peaceful silence.

"No, he never knew them. He was left at the orphanage when he was just a few weeks old."

Tanaka considered Hiroki's words. "…Can I see that picture again?"

Not finding a reason not to, Hiroki pulled his cell phone back out and scrolled down to find a decent picture of his boyfriend (not that some of the others were naked ones; that would be stupid). He held it out for her, and Tanaka leaned in to study it.

It took Tanaka a moment to speak. "…Do you mind if I show you a picture?"

Hiroki shook his head and narrowed his eyebrows questioningly. "That's fine."

Tanaka sighed before ducking down to fish her wallet out of her purse. She opened it and flipped straight to the back of her credit card flap, then pulled a picture out from between two of the cards. Reluctantly, she held the picture out for Hiroki.

"Do you…think this is what Kusama-san would look like as a baby?"

Hiroki took the picture from her and studied it close. His face sunk into a deep frown as he realized he'd seen this baby before—but it was with different backdrop. The pictures could've been taken within days of each other for all he knew. The eye color was identical and there was a mole on the baby's neck exactly where Nowaki…

Hiroki pursed his lips and thrust the picture back at her. "No, I don't think so."

Tanaka watched him for a moment. Just as she was about to speak again, one of the stewardesses came over the intercom. "Attention passengers, we have reached 10,000 feet and will be arriving at John F. Kennedy International Airport in about 15 minutes. At this time, please turn off all electronic devices so we can continue our descent. The temperature for New York City is 28 degrees Fahrenheit with light snow. Thank you for flying American Airlines, and welcome to New York City."

Hiroki was preparing to power down his cell phone when an idea suddenly popped into his head. It was risky and a tad twisted, but he only had a small amount of time to pull it off. He held out and turned his wrist to the left so that the camera of his phone was pointed at Tanaka. While she was preoccupied putting her wallet away, Hiroki snapped a quick picture before pulling his hand back and turning his phone off. He slipped it into his backpack and pulled the window slat up so he could watch as they descended into New York. The city was already blanketed with snow and there were hundreds of cars weaving in and out of the skyscrapers.

"Tanaka-san, where are you staying at?"

Tanaka turned slightly, surprised that Hiroki had actually chosen spoken to her given the way he'd reacted to the picture. "I'm staying at the Hilton Garden Inn in Times Square. It's located on 8th Street."

Hiroki nodded and continued to watch the snow fall. His mind was abuzz with hundreds questions that he couldn't ask and a multitude of things he couldn't say.

**X X X**

It had been awkward when they first started de-boarding, but Hiroki was grateful to have lost Tanaka when she marched off in the direction of a bathroom without mentioning a goodbye to Hiroki. His mind was still racing with the onslaught of Intel he had gained over the past few hours, but Hiroki was going to leave that can of worms was for the taxi ride. It was hard consider your boyfriend's potential family life and translate English and walk through an alarmingly crowded airport, all at the same time.

Being a literature major, Hiroki often had to read texts written in English, so he was quite comfortable with the language. He hadn't taken any formal English class since his second year of high school, but he was still able to recall everything he'd learned with practiced ease. In fact, he'd tutored Nowaki in English while he was preparing for the entrance exams. There were still some aspects of the language that he'd never grown comfortable with, however; like when to use contractions and when not to pronounce certain letters. It was a minor thing that didn't prevent Hiroki from navigating through the airport, but Hiroki still got embarrassed when he pronounced "knife" with the "k". _You'd think I'd know better by now…_

By the time Hiroki had finally found baggage claim (the airport was huge and Hiroki kept getting stuck behind long lines of people and their stupid children), the bags had already come shooting out. After dragging his cold, wet luggage off of the claim belt—with the assistance of a hefty black woman, much to Hiroki's embarrassment—he breezed through customs and followed the signs that said "EXIT".

It had taken nearly an hour to reach the exit from the time Hiroki had landed, but he didn't mind. The plane hadn't crashed, he'd gotten away from Tanaka, he was finally in New York City, and now he was just hours away from seeing Nowaki again…his palms were sweating already.

The cold had been a slight shock when he stepped outside, but Hiroki didn't want to dig his jacket out in the middle of the airport. Hiroki had done research on hailing cabs in New York, so it only took him 3 tries to successfully flag one down. The warm cabin was welcoming, and he quickly threw his bags in. He had converted about twenty thousand yen into over two hundred American dollars for the taxi ride alone, so he hoped that would be enough—he wasn't exactly sure how far Nowaki's place was from the airport and was unsure about cab fare in New York.

"Where to?" Hiroki collected from the dark skin and thick accent that English was obviously not the driver's first language, either.

"Here, please." Hiroki handed him the street address and name of the apartment complex on a sticky note. Hiroki didn't want to risk saying the address wrong and ending up at some crack house on the other end of the city, so he opted to write it down for convenience's sake.

"This is pretty far away, big cab fair. That okay?"

"That is fine."

The driver turned back around and clicked the meter. As he checked his blind spot and prepared to pull out into traffic, a million thoughts ran through Hiroki's mind. Could that Tanaka-san be Nowaki's biological mother? If so, does she want to meet Nowaki? Does Nowaki want to meet her?

"Oh right," Hiroki whispered, too low for the cabbie to hear it. He grabbed his carry-on and rooted around until he found a pen and napkin from the plane. "Times Square, Hilton Garden Inn, 8th Street," Hiroki annotated as he shakily wrote it down on the napkin, tearing it in several places. It was sloppy, but just in case something was to come up, Hiroki didn't want to forget where Tanaka was staying.

Hiroki grabbed the back of passenger's side seat as the driver suddenly slammed on the breaks. The driver shouted something in what Hiroki presumed was Spanish, honking his horn at the brazen Rolls Royce that had cut him off.

Hiroki sat further back in his seat, trying to the snow fill his thoughts as it blanketed the streets and melted on sewer grates.

**X X X**

Sometime later (Hiroki hadn't been paying close attention to the time), the cab pulled over. "We're here."

Hiroki sat up and looked out the window. "Thank you very much," he said, handing the driver the proper amount of money. He pushed the door open as far as he could and dragged his heavy bags out of the cab, gently kicking the door shut behind him. In the distance he heard the taxi pull away, and beside him the snow made the bottom of his roll-around suitcase wet, but Hiroki hardly noticed as he stared up at the large brick complex that stood before him.

A cold shiver racked his body and Hiroki snapped out of it, running for the warmth and shelter of the building. He stepped carefully to avoid stepping through the larger piles of snow and ice. Just as he got to the door and realized he'd have to buzz in to get into the complex, a young couple was exiting the building.

The man looked over and held the door open for Hiroki as he pulled his bag into the dwelling. "Thank you very much," Hiroki said, bowing deeply before remembering that Americans usually don't bow to each other.

"No problem man," the man replied, allowing the door to shut behind him.

The elevator was within sight, luckily. Hiroki pressed the arrow pointing up and the door binged immediately, so Hiroki stepped inside and hit the big "9" button. The doors slid shut and Hiroki jumped when the shaft began to ascend.

"914, 914," Hiroki repeated as the doors slid open once again on the ninth floor. He beared left and stalked up the hallway, almost dreadfully watching the numbers as they climbed in the direction of 914.

When he finally arrived at the correct door, it took Hiroki a few moments to gather himself before he knocked. Three times, to be casual.

A few seconds later, light spilled out from around the door and a young man stepped out.

_**To be continued…**_

**X X X**

**So, I'll let you bask in wonder for a few hours. Next chapter will be up around noon tomorrow after my volleyball meeting. Just wanna make sure everything's squared away with it.**


	4. Guest

**I don't own Junjo Romantica or anything else mentioned in this story…I merely use them as a pawn in my sexual games.**

**X X X**

"…Can I help you?"

Hiroki pondered the stranger's words for a moment, confused. It wasn't the English that was puzzling him—it was the fact that Nowaki said he lived at this apartment number, in this building, but currently, there was a muscular, fair-skinned American man standing in the doorway instead of his Japanese giant.

"Uh, does Kusama Nowaki live here?"

"Yeah, he's my roommate, but he just went to the store. Is it anything I can help you with?"

"He is my friend, I came to visit him. I live in Japan. I am sorry; I did not know he had a roommate..."

"Oh! That explains your accent. He didn't tell me he was expecting company…"

"Again, I am sorry, I wanted to…um…surprise him. He did not know I was coming. I did not know he had a roommate."

"Well, uh, come inside, please. Nowaki should be back really soon…in fact, let me call him."

The man held the door open and warmly gestured Hiroki into the apartment. Hiroki's face flushed a little as he stepped into the apartment—he felt like _such_ an _idiot_! Of course Nowaki would have a roommate…a poor college student can barely pay for food, let alone an apartment; it was more economical. But that still didn't explain why Nowaki never told him he had a roommate…

Unsure of what to do next, Hiroki sat his bags down on the opposite side of the couch (to hide it from Nowaki's view, whenever the big lug decided to show up) and looked around the living room. A modestly sized television sat at the west side of the room, the space around it littered with video game boxes, controllers, and consoles. A navy blue L-shaped couch stretched around a shaggy black rug, both sitting atop extravagant cherry hard-wood floors. Between the couch and the TV stood an ancient, scratched coffee table that had a number of remotes and magazines strewn across it. Upon further review, Hiroki was relieved to find that all of the magazines were either about video games or cars; no nudie magazines.

Behind him sat a rather large kitchen. Black plastic countertops stretched across the wall, book-ended by a matching white fridge and stove. An island had been placed in the middle of the kitchen, and around it were 3 matching wooden barstools. A coffee maker, microwave and toaster sat on the counter, along with an assortment of snacks and cooking utensils. Hiroki recognized one of the bags sitting in the corner—Nowaki's favorite type of chips. The giant must've brought over enough for him to last an entire year, Hiroki thought, stifling a smirk at his boyfriend's cuteness.

As Hiroki pondered the main living area, the roommate had been talking to Nowaki. "Where are you at, dude?"

Hiroki was trying really hard to listen in and hear Nowaki's voice, but it was lost in the static.

"When will you be home? …I was just wondering. Some guy is here for you, he says he's your friend and lives in Japan. …hold on." The man turned to Hiroki, "What's your name?"

"Kamijo Hiroki."

The roommate stood there blankly for a second, before returning to the phone call. "Um, I think he said his name is Cama-joe Hero-kin? That's probably not right. Sorry, I'm not very good with foreign names…okay. Okay, see you."

The man turned to Hiroki. "Um, Nowaki is on his way home right now. He'll be here in a couple minutes…would you like anything to drink?"

"No thank you. Where is the bathroom?"

"It's that door," the man pointed to the door to the right of the TV, "right there."

"Thanks."

Hiroki went in, closing and locking the door behind him. He went over to the mirror, fixed his disarray cabin-hair and wet some toilet paper to pat down his face with cool water. He also figured he'd slowly, very slowly, wash his hands—rather than awkwardly sitting out in the living room with Nowaki's American roommate, Hiroki figured he'd just wait it out in the bathroom. Apparently, he didn't have to wait long—just as Hiroki had finished shaking his hands off for about the twelfth time, he heard a door squeak open. Hiroki's hands were a little shaky as he dried them off and quietly unlocked the doorknob, pressing his ear up against the door to try to hear what the two were saying.

"They were out of Heineken, sorry. Got everything else though." God, Nowaki's voice was heavenly when it wasn't heard through an old phone-line over thousands of miles. It was also interesting, even sexy, to hear him speak English.

"Thanks man…uh, that guy is in the bathroom. He said he came to surprise you."

Hiroki could almost _hear_ Nowaki's face contort in confusion. "Alright…well what does he look like?"

"I don't know…Japanese? Brown eyes, brown hair, a few inches shorter than me."

"Thanks, I think I've narrowed it down to…_every single Japanese person out there_."

Hiroki had been devising his big reveal since the moment he'd started planning this trip, but now that it was here, and definitely not under the same circumstances as he had imagined it being, Hiroki was at a loss. Well, it was now or never. Taking a deep breath, Hiroki turned the knob and stepped out into the bright living room.

_**To be continued…**_

**X X X**

**Another cliffhanger! Dang, I've become one of "those" authors…LOL OH WELL. I've got a game plan. Yeah, GAME PLAN! LEROOOOOOY JEEEEEEENKIIINS!**


	5. Relieved

**I don't own Junjo Romantica or anything else mentioned in this story…I merely use them as a pawn in my sexual games.**

**This chapter kept getting longer, and longer, and longer. Now it's like, as long as all 4 chapters combined…hopefully that makes up for my tardiness. I have a succession of reasons and excuses lined up, but they don't relate to this apart from the fact that it delayed the writing of this. (Had to read 2 300+ page classics for school, which I've completely finished since the last time I posted, cover to cover. Speaking of which, _The Kite Runner_, one of the best books I've ever read. Not that I'm promoting it or anything…SHOTA.)**

**Oh and uh, if you didn't notice, the rating has been bumped up to "M". So.**

**X X X**

An eerie, high-pitched squeak accompanied Hiroki as he stepped through the door. The room, suddenly too bright, was thick with an awkward air that acted as a barrier between them as the two were unceremoniously presented to one another. Neither knew what to do or say first, and in the back of their minds they had the same thought that their silence was probably making the roommate very uncomfortable; but what the hell he matter? They were there, together, in the same dwelling, for the first time in nearly 8 months. Since that cold, rainy day in early May, when Hiroki prayed the plane would be delayed, just so they have ten more minutes together; since the silent cab ride, where they'd held hands between their warm thighs, watching the cool rain dance across the windows like their unshed tears; since they'd kissed good-bye in front of security, long and passionate, a sea of disapproving glances lashing them and their indecent display of affection.

Nowaki was the first to move. He took a small step forward, his slack jaw moving up and down as they searched for words. _This has to be a dream, this has to be a dream,_ is the only thing that raced through his mind as he moved to stand in front of Hiroki. The smaller man reached out and touched his arm, small fingers sweeping across the soft folds of his jacket to push away bits of dust and dirt, hoping the roommate wouldn't think anything of his lingering touch if it looked like he was brushing away balls of lint.

Nowaki coughed into his elbow. "W-What are you doing here?" he asked Hiroki, using every last shred of patience he had to keep his tone even and collected, fighting to keep the affection out of his voice.

Hiroki was surprised at the younger man's self-control; Nowaki must not have told the roommate about his inclinations. "I wanted to surprise you. I talked to my professors and took a few extra days off school…should I not have come?"

"No! No, Hiro-san, I'm glad you came." That was when Nowaki leaned down to hug him, offsetting their arms so it looked like a friendly hug as opposed to a romantic one. Hiroki understood, and didn't stop him when they pulled away a few seconds later. If Nowaki wanted to keep the roommate blind about their relationship and his preferences, he had no reason to interfere.

"I'll explain later," Nowaki whispered, referring to the whole "roommate" thing. Hiroki nodded, and when they turned to go towards the kitchen, they found the roommate stowing away the groceries that Nowaki had just bought.

"Um, Ryan," Nowaki began, switching back to "English" mode. "I'm sorry that Hiro-san didn't tell me he was showing up, but he didn't know I had a roommate, and he doesn't have anywhere else to stay. So you don't mind if he stays with us, right?"

Ryan dismissively waved his hand. "Nah, I don't care, it's fine." He turned around and crossed his arms, studying Hiroki for a brief moment.

"Well, Ryan, this is my good friend, Kamijo Hiroki." He gestured to Hiroki before switching to Japanese. "Hiro-san, this is my roommate, Ryan Kerrigan."

Ryan held out his hand. "Nice to meet you…is Kamijo or Hiroki your first name?"

Hiroki froze for a moment to translate the sentence in his head, but before he could say anything, Nowaki was answering for him. "His name is Hiroki, but he doesn't like it when people call him that. He prefers Kamijo."

"Kamijo, then," Ryan said, his arm still extended.

Hiroki shook Ryan's hand, not caring about the lack of "–san" at the end of his name. "Nice to meet you too, Ryan-san," Hiroki said, the English name awkwardly leaving his tongue. They released their hands after a moment, and before things could begin to feel uncomfortable again, Ryan was speaking.

"I need to run to Macy's and pick up my sister's Christmas present before they sell out, so I'll let you guys get…reacquainted." There was something off about the way he'd said "reacquainted". "I have my cell, I'll be back soon. See ya later." He grabbed a heavy, navy blue coat off the back of the sofa and threw it on.

"Okay, see ya Ryan."

Keys jingled and the door was slammed shut. Not wanting to waste another second, Nowaki immediately turned and grabbed Hiroki by the waist. He lifted the older man up into his arms and kissed him senseless, sucking air from Hiroki's lungs as if he had just been waterboarded. The taller man whimpered when small fingers weaved through his snow-dusted hair.

Just as one of Nowaki's perpetually warm hands slid up the back of his sweater, Hiroki pulled away from the kiss, but Nowaki hardly noticed as he began feasting on the brunet's warm neck. "Nowaki, wait," Hiroki started, groaning as the man sucked on one of the more sensitive areas of his throat. "Ahh, seriously, Nowaki, I-I think we need to t-talk about…something…" The last few words came out as more of a breathy moan.

Nowaki pointedly ignored him by turning and walking in the direction of his open bedroom door. "Later," he said as he walked inside, lifting a knee and placing it on to the foot of the bed. He used it as leverage to lower Hiroki onto the mattress. "I've missed you so much…"

Sweet lips pressed to his wind-chapped cheeks, followed by the stroke of calloused fingertips. Large palms slid to lovingly cup the back of Hiroki's neck while their kisses commenced. Hiroki's arms naturally found their way around Nowaki's shoulders, clutching at the damp folds of his jacket. As they kissed, Hiroki briefly worried that he'd forget all the questions he'd formulated during the cab ride, but that issue was quickly pushed aside when Nowaki started touching him. Tender hands traced his ribcage with deft fingers, then slid behind his back to remove the knitted sweater. The cool apartment air came as a shock as it licked at Hiroki's bare chest; but it made Nowaki's body feel doubly warm in comparison.

Air began to feel sparse and when Hiroki turned his head to breathe, Nowaki pulled away completely. Hiroki grunted in annoyance and Nowaki bit down to conceal a smile as he walked towards the door. "Where're you going, dummy?"

"Shutting the door, in case Ryan comes back," Nowaki answered as he closed the bedroom door, peeling off his jacket and casting it to the floor before returning to Hiroki, who gotten up on his knees in the meantime. As he approached Hiroki reached out and placed his hands on Nowaki's hips, grasping the hem of the white university t-shirt and lifting it up. Nowaki aided him in raising it over his head and casting it to the side, not caring where it landed.

As they stood (and sat) facing each other, desperately rubbing the other's arms and shoulders and hips to keep the cold away, Nowaki spoke. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming?" he asked, pressing their foreheads together before turning his head and tipping his chin up for a quick peck. "I would've picked you up at the airport or something…" His hands stopped rubbing and moved, closing around the small of Hiroki's back.

"I wanted to surprise you," Hiroki whispered, his eyes closing as he tried to memorize the feel of Nowaki holding him. Every few seconds they'd steal a kiss and Hiroki reached up to knot his fingers in the silky black hair. "But…" Hiroki paused briefly, unsure of whether he should bring the topic up at that time. "…why didn't you tell me you had a roommate?"

Nowaki frowned, twisting his head to the left and allowing his temple to rest against Hiroki's broad shoulder. "Honestly, I didn't think it mattered, for one," he murmured into the side of Hiroki's neck. "But, two, I didn't want you to be mad at me."

"Why would I be mad?"

"I don't know. I thought maybe you'd be jealous of him or something."

"…Well not telling me about him runs an even higher risk of that happening."

"I guess that's true. And I'm really sorry. I wanted to tell you but, and I was going to, but then, somehow…just out of nowhere…I didn't."

Hiroki shrugged the shoulder that Nowaki was leaning against and tilted his neck, making it so that their lips met again. "Just shut up," he whispered against the winter-dry lips, teasing them with moisture. He smiled.

Nowaki grinned in return and did as he was told; shutting up and letting the rest of his body to the talking. They kissed for several long minutes while Hiroki slid his expert fingers over Nowaki's rosy cheeks, across his pecs and down, stopping at his faded jeans. While Nowaki's tongue battled with his, Hiroki undid the zipper and button, shoving the trousers down his slender hips. The pants stopped mid-thigh and Hiroki whimpered in annoyance.

Out of nowhere, Nowaki grabbed Hiroki's shoulders and wrestled him back onto the bed, surprising the older man with his sudden roughness. Hiroki's eyes were wide and questioning as Nowaki loomed above him. Smiling, Nowaki stooped down, using his lips and nose to trace a thin line down Hiroki's chest; slowly, to show that he would be gentle from here on out, and that his playful display of dominance was just to establish that he was in charge, not Hiroki. Hiroki shivered and moaned as Nowaki's lips pressed against his belly. Hands were quickly unzipping his pants before they slid beneath his bottom and down the back of his thighs. Lifting the thin legs over his shoulders, Nowaki inched the soft denim off Hiroki's body. The light grey boxer-briefs accidentally started coming off as the jeans were being pulled off, but stopped half-way down his ass. The pants were discarded near the closet door to the north, soon followed by the small pair of silver underwear.

Hiroki self-consciously tried to remove his legs from Nowaki's shoulders to cover himself. His bare bottom was being lifted off the mattress, nearly in line with Nowaki's crotch. Such a vulnerable, intimate position so soon was making him feel awkward, and it didn't help that he was as hard as a rock. It'd been months since he'd been in any sort of sexual position (though, admittedly, he had studied up on some new positions for them to try, to surprise Nowaki, but he had been fully clothed and alone when he had mimicked those playful moves) so he needed a few minutes to get accustomed to being naked with someone else again.

Nowaki felt Hiroki's ankles twitch and his knees bend towards the midline of his body, as if he wanted to curl into a ball. "What's wrong?"

"You need to get naked, too," Hiroki answered quickly, covering his chest with his arms.

Seeming reluctant to do so, Nowaki grabbed Hiroki's feet and pushed them off his shoulders. Hiroki closed his legs and tucked his heels beneath him, watching Nowaki as he stepped out of his jeans. His fingers curled around the waistband of his boxers and paused, and for the first time Hiroki noticed Nowaki looked skinnier. When Nowaki hesitated pulling the underwear down, Hiroki laughed at him. "What? You embarrassed or something?"

It was Nowaki's turn to blush. "A little…"

Hiroki's eyes widened in surprise. "Really? Why? It's just me."

Nowaki smiled at the way Hiroki had referred to himself, _like it could ever _just_ be Hiro-san_. "I know. But I haven't exactly, uh, been…up-keeping…like I usually do. How about I just keep these on?"

"That's not fair; I don't want to be the only one here naked!"

"You can put on my shirt or something, then, it's cold anyway."

"I meant from the bottom down."

"Well…uh…"

"Just take off your damn underwear!"

Nowaki looked pensive as he grabbed the waistband of his underwear again. He thumbed the elastic and bit down on his lip as he debated about whether he should listen to Hiroki or not.

"Oh, for heaven's sake," Hiroki grumbled, forgetting his own embarrassment as he got up and shot forward, grabbing Nowaki's blue-striped boxers.

"Hey, stop it!" Nowaki yelled, laughing as he held the waistband up and shook Hiroki's hands off by jumping back. "Okay, okay, I'll do it," he reasoned when Hiroki started to get up from the bed to chase him. "Just…get under the covers first and close your eyes."

"Jesus, Nowaki, what's the big deal?" Hiroki stood up and went over to Nowaki, keeping his palms raised towards him to show he wasn't going to try anything. When he got close enough he got up on his tip-toes and wrapped his arms around Nowaki's neck, confusing his counterpart slightly with the gesture. "I don't care if you have hair on your body."

"But you always clean up for me, so, I just feel I should do the same for you."

Since his face was hidden from view, Hiroki smiled. "That's not true. Sometimes I forget, but I don't get all defensive and scared like you."

"Yeah, but even if you do, I never notice because it's not that bad. Mine's pretty bad."

"But do _you_ care if _I_ forget?"

"No, because it's not a big deal."

"Exactly! It's not a big deal. Thus, _I_ don't care if _you_ forget."

Nowaki's cheeks turned pink again as Hiroki retracted his arms and quickly tugged his underwear down. Hiroki looked down for a brief moment before raising his eyes to meet Nowaki's, only to find that they were squeezed shut in embarrassment. With a resigned sigh, Hiroki took Nowaki's hands and twisted his wrists to lace their fingers. "Come on, let's just go to bed," Hiroki breathed, leaning in to place his forehead against Nowaki's lips. The student began walking them backwards, kissing the smooth skin until he heard Hiroki hit the bed with his calves.

When Hiroki tried to sit down on it, Nowaki stopped him. "Wait, its cold in here, let's get under the covers," he suggested. He wiggled his right hand free and pulled down the navy blue comforter, revealing ice blue flannel sheets with small, white snowflakes.

"You so cute," Hiroki said, laughing at the sheets. The adorable blankets only reminded Hiroki of his partner's child-like disposition—was it possible for him to have fallen even more in love with that giant idiot?

Choosing not to answer that, Hiroki scooted towards the middle of the bed laid down. Nowaki climbed in after him. "I like them!" he pouted, shifting over top of Hiroki's body.

Hiroki couldn't help but smile as he wrapped his arms around Nowaki's neck, kissing the dimples of the younger man's cheeks. "I do too. It's just, a male college student with snowflake sheets..." Hiroki laughed again. "Then again, you_ are_ gay, so I guess it makes sense."

"Ha ha ha," Nowaki mock-laughed, leaning down to kiss Hiroki on the lips. "But I'll have you know, they were just giving these away at the store…"

Hiroki pulled away and glared at him expectantly. "…in exchange for money," Nowaki finished awkwardly, cocking his head to the side and narrowing one eye as if questioning his own answer. Hiroki started cracking up, the bed shaking slightly from his giggle-fit. Nowaki chuckled as well, watching Hiroki with adoration. Tears collected in the corner of the brunet's eyes and Nowaki stooped down to kiss them away. The tender action made Hiroki clear his throat and quickly regain his composure, settling himself down as he looked to meet Nowaki's crisp blue irises.

As lay there, gazing at each other for several long moments, Hiroki lifted his hand to stroke the long bangs away from Nowaki's shadowed forehead. The younger bent down to capture the soft lips between his, moaning when Hiroki's hand slid through his hair again. With one arm balanced above the brunet's head, Nowaki ran his left hand down Hiroki's side, along the curve of his bottom and up his thigh, hooking it beneath the knee and pushing the joint back. Just as he began to slide his fingers inward, he caught himself.

"Shit…" Nowaki cursed against Hiroki's lips. He pulled away to lick his own and stare hard at the bed sheets. "I don't have lube or anything," he admitted, his hand slipping away from Hiroki's leg. He slapped himself on the forehead. "Damn it, I didn't even think about it!"

"Shh, sh, it's okay," Hiroki whispered, prying Nowaki's hand away from the tender forehead. "It's okay. I expected that you wouldn't have anything, so I have some stuff in my bag."

"Where's it at?"

"…In my bag."

"Which is where?"

"In the living room, beside the couch. Just grab the blue medicine bag, it's near the top."

Nowaki hopped up quickly, speed-walking to the living room. Hiroki sat up slightly to watch Nowaki's glutes tighten and relax while he walked. Flushing at his own stupidity, Hiroki leaned back down and listened closely to hear Nowaki unzip the back and rummage around for a short minute. No more than thirty seconds later, Nowaki was marching back into the room, bottle in hand. Hiroki had a hard time not smirking as he watched Nowaki enter the room, erection bouncing with each step.

The sheets were warm as Nowaki climbed back inside, graciously accepting Hiroki's open arms. He resumed his earlier position of pushing Hiroki's right knee back, the other leg bent upwards and spread wide in the other direction. Before Hiroki could lean up for a kiss Nowaki pulled back, rolling the cap off the bottle. Hiroki tried not to pout as Nowaki smiled.

"You ready?" Nowaki was already spreading the oily substance onto his long fingers. After capping it and rolling it to the side, he waited for Hiroki's compliance.

Hiroki gulped and wiped non-existent sweat from his forehead. "Y-yeah," he replied, suddenly worried. It'd been a long time since any fingers had been up there since he didn't particularly like doing that to himself, and it was just now dawning on Hiroki that it'd probably hurt the first time.

One gentle finger pressed against Hiroki's entrance. The cool gel made the muscles contract and their owner gasp at the sensation, before allowing the digit to slide inside. Hiroki wiggled a little at the foreign feeling but it didn't really hurt, not yet anyway. After sliding it in and out several times, Nowaki added his ring finger.

"Nnn," Hiroki whined. His entrance stung slightly from the penetration, and he fought against the instinct to clutch around Nowaki. The man's fingers weren't even that wide…how was it going to feel with the real thing?

"You okay?" Nowaki asked, pressing an impatient index finger to the inside of the cheek.

"Keep going," Hiroki urged, crying out unexpectedly when Nowaki did as he was told. "Ahhnn, mmmph." Hiroki covered his mouth so his hisses of pain wouldn't be too loud. His face scrunched together as three of Nowaki's fingers stretched his incredibly tight muscles beyond what they'd become accustomed to.

Always the considerate lover, Nowaki stopped his movements briefly and bent over to kiss Hiroki. "I know it hurts," Nowaki whispered, hoping his kisses would distract the brunet until the pain had subsided. "Do you not want to do it that way? I can stop."

Hiroki broke away and shook his head violently. "No, no, I do, I want to. Just…" Hiroki closed his eyes and exhaled slowly. "…just put it in really slowly."

Nowaki grabbed the lube again, generously slicking down his shaft with its slippery contents. The bottle was carelessly tossed in the direction of the nightstand while Nowaki shifted closer to Hiroki, sitting back on his heels. Hiroki tucked his knees in towards his chest, spreading them as far as he could so Nowaki could see to guide his movements. Just as he was about to line himself up, Nowaki grabbed a one of the spare pillows and placed it under Hiroki's lower back. The simple action surprised Hiroki with it's tenderness, and in response, he released one of his legs to grab ahold of Nowaki's left hand. The younger man smiled but didn't meet Hiroki's eyes, too busy concentrating on easing the head of his cock inside.

"Ahhh-HHHH," Hiroki shrieked, his voice raising a pitch as Nowaki breached him. The erection had only slid in a few centimeters but saltwater had already started spilling from Hiroki's tear ducts. Nails dug into the back of Nowaki's hand so hard that it hurt, though the minor pinch was nothing compared to what Hiroki was going through. Nowaki's eyes lowered in sympathy and in attempt to distract Hiroki, he placed kisses along his partner's bony knuckles, his free hand rubbing circles against the underside of Hiroki's softening cock. Whenever he thrust his hips to push himself further inside, Hiroki tightened and cried out, his free hand shooting up to tear at his sweaty hairline. Nowaki's heart ached—he never wanted to be the source of Hiroki's pain, and he especially didn't want to prolong it.

"Are you okay?" Nowaki asked when his length was most of the way in. The hand that had been stroking Hiroki's shrinking length slid down and cupped his thin waist.

"N-no…" The feeble voice cracked instantly. Hiroki threw his head back and screamed as Nowaki pushed the rest of the way inside. He discarded Nowaki's hand and wrapped his arms around the taller man's shoulders, agressively pulling them together. Just by having Nowaki's chest pressed to his, lips on his throat, dull nails scratching his scalp, made Hiroki feel marginally better.

As Hiroki forced himself to get used to the sensation, Nowaki adorned his cheeks with appreciative kisses. Lips whispered promises of love into his ear and a soft palm slid across his chest, teasing his nipples to reawaken the sexual energy that had faded into the background. The stinging began to subside but the dull ache never left, even as Hiroki slowly wrapped his feet around Nowaki's back to silently tell him he was ready.

Nowaki pressed their mouths together as he began to thrust very slowly, his erection barely left its internal chamber before it was being forced back inside. The warm tightness too inviting to leave and he didn't want to go too fast too soon.

Hiroki's innards ached from the sheer volume of the younger man's cock and despite the pillow, his back hurt from the awkward position he had to hold it at. His erection had long since gone soft but he didn't care about any of that, because he was with Nowaki again; holding him, kissing him, touching him, making him feel good. It was more of a relief to be there, with him, making love like they hadn't just been apart for the last eight months. Relieving to know that time hadn't changed Nowaki. Relieving to know that his heart had remained pure and loyal to him throughout their time apart. Relieving to know that Nowaki was still madly in love with him. Tears sprung from his eyes again but this time they weren't out of physical pain.

A smile crossed Nowaki's lips when Hiroki brought his other hand up and ran it through his hair. He cracked his eyes open, spotted tears and immediately became concerned. Was Hiroki still in that much pain? He pulled away from the kiss and prepared to stop, halted only by Hiroki's desperate lips moving to his cheek and neck. The older man began sucking and biting his jaw, trying to leave a hickey behind. A jolt of electricity shot down Nowaki's spine and he shifted so that his knees were further apart and closer to Hiroki's body. The increased leverage allowed Nowaki to move his hips deeper at a faster pace.

"You're so tight," Nowaki moaned, enjoying the feeling of Hiroki's unyielding muscles around his engorged cock. He felt Hiroki's nails dig into his back when Nowaki began thrusting harder than he had been, and he took that as a sign to back off a little. Slow but steady was okay with him; he was just happy to be with Hiroki again.

"Aaaaahh," Hiroki moaned when Nowaki suddenly struck that special bundle of nerves deep inside him. His back arched and he threw his head back, unconsciously shifting his hips to make sure Nowaki hit that spot every time. The erection slowly rose to life again, aided by the amazing sensation brought on by Nowaki's thrusting hips.

"Hiro-san," Nowaki breathed when he felt Hiroki's cock harden between them. A knowing smile crept onto his lips and he aimed his hips upward, pressing the head of his erection further into Hiroki's prostate.

"Mmmmm…" Hiroki sighed, sliding his fingers over Nowaki's broad shoulders and down his flexed triceps. One hand became impatient and snuck down to pump at its owner's length, pre-cum pearling at the tip. "Uhhnnn…" He briefly debated grabbing the lube again, but rather than have Nowaki pause his incredibly ministrations, he settled for licking his palm until it was slick with saliva. Clear fluid leaked onto his stomach as the hand resumed its stroking.

Nowaki raised his neck, pressing their sweat-dampened foreheads together. With no where else to look but in Nowaki's eyes, Hiroki found himself drowning in the depths of his lover's prolonged gaze.

"I love you," Hiroki whispered through no conscious will of his own. Nowaki's eyes must've pulled it out of him.

"I love you, too," Nowaki murmured and lightly, ever so lightly, pressed their lips together. Their lovemaking nearly came to a complete stand-still as their tongues gently rolled over each other, their lips still barely connecting. The lack of consistent contact with Nowaki's mouth was driving Hiroki crazy but with each micro-touch, electricity was shot straight into his groin.

"No-wa-ki…" his words were fragmented into short syllables as Nowaki refused to stop his rain of kisses. Their nether regions tingled with excitement and Hiroki was ready to climax just from the sensual action of kissing Nowaki. "I-I'm gon-na c-ome…"

"Go ahead," Nowaki murmured. He felt ready to burst himself despite the slow pace, and he began thrusting a tad harder than before.

Hiroki resumed his erratic pumping, begging for Nowaki to go faster so he could finish more quickly. With Nowaki's hands, mouth, and cock doing a number on various body parts, it wasn't long until he was completely undone. Several thrusts straight into the throbbing bundle of nerves was all Hiroki needed before his world was suddenly aflame with nothing but pleasurable sensation.

"Aaaaahhh," Hiroki groaned, a small shot of semen streaking his flushed chest. He continued pumping and managed to work out three more strings, his eyelids filling with white as he floated in a pool of ecstasy.

"Can we switch positions?" Nowaki asked when Hiroki had mostly cooled off, reaching to the right to grab a couple tissues from the nightstand.

"Mmm-hmm…" Hiroki sighed, nodding his head as he struggled to get his breathing under control. He allowed Nowaki to wipe the seed from his chest and waited for instructions.

"On your knees?"

Hiroki didn't agree nor did he disagree, merely waited for Nowaki to pull out so he could roll over onto his stomach. He grabbed the memory-foam pillow and hugged it while tucking his knees beneath his chest and pushing his bottom into the air. Not knowing when Nowaki was going to enter him was strangely exciting and the sudden feeling of fullness was a surprising turn-on. He was tired and no where near ready for another round but the sensation was nice while he waited for Nowaki to finish.

It didn't take long for Nowaki's thrusts to become less uneven. Large hands gripped his bottom and kneaded, the narrow hips snapping hard to meet Hiroki's with increased fervor as his pace sped up. Heat spread through his body as his own release beckoned, accidentally releasing some of his seed inside Hiroki before pulling out and shooting the rest across his lover's back. He vaguely remembered Hiroki complaining about Nowaki's semen leaking out of him at random after their lovemaking sessions and the older man insisting that he either wear condoms or pull out when he came. Since he hated the feel of condoms he opted for the second choice, though he tended to forget to actually do it from time to time.

The younger immediately collapsed to the side, pulling his partner over to him. The smell of coconut and lime filled his senses; welcoming, comforting, familiar. "I missed you so much," he whispered, trapping the older man with the heavy comforter and warm arms. He dismissed the tears that ran down his cheeks and dampened Hiroki's hair as a side-effect of the powerful orgasm.

One of Nowaki's arms was outstretched in front of him, and Hiroki's hand slowly crept over to encase it. "I missed you, too."

**_To be continued..._**

**X X X**

**I think I'm losing my touch with lemon scenes…**

**HAH. HAH. THAT AMERICAN NAME. HAH. If anyone can tell me where that I got the name from, I'll dance naked for you in a field of sunflowers beneath the full moon. **

…**Okay, I won't actually do that, but I _will_ publish the next chapter ahead of time. Promise. This chapter took me forever because I wasn't satisfied with the lemon…and I'm still not.**

**Please actually review. LOOKING AND LEAVING IS FOR CHUMPS.**


	6. Confession

**I don't own Junjo Romantica or anything else mentioned in this story…I merely use them as a pawn in my sexual games.**

**Since the lovely Wafuruuu correctly guessed the source of the American name (even if you used Google, I don't care—it shows you at least cared enough to Google it! Though I would've liked the team name as well, since they're my personal favorite, lol.), as promised, I posted a new chapter fairly quickly. I abandoned my duties as a student by doing this all day instead of paying attention, so, hope you enjoy.**

**X X X**

Wind crashed against the walls as the snow picked up. Dead tree limps scratched against the brick walls like an angry cat. The mattress moaned in protest every time one of the warm bodies atop it shifted to a more comfortable position. There wasn't a sound to be heard apart from the storm outside and the comforting mantra of their partner's even breathing.

"I love these fingers…" Nowaki murmured with their arms outstretched in front of them. He intermittently squeezed, released, and twined Hiroki's fingers between his own, the cycle only broken by the occasional kiss pressed to the brunet's knuckles. "I love these shoulders…" he swept his lips over the top of Hiroki's shoulder, then up his neck. "I love these ears…" Nowaki nuzzled the small, flushed ears with his nose. "So much…"

"Hmm…" Hiroki turned his head slightly to press his lips against the bulky bicep he was currently using as a fleshy pillow. It was warm against his cheek and whenever he kissed it, Nowaki flexed the muscle out of instinct, subconsciously displaying his strength. Out of boredom, he'd already made two hickeys near Nowaki's elbow, much to the younger man's delight.

The comforting feel of Nowaki's gorgeous body pressed to his was calming, and Hiroki had started to nod off. Unfortunately, before he could, the giant was trying to wake him. "Hiro-san…" Nowaki sighed, gentle hands ruffling his hair. "I know you're tired, but in order to get over the jet-lag you need to stay awake for a little bit. It's barely lunch time."

"But it's, like, midnight in Japan…" The warm body that had been pressed against his back was suddenly absent. "Just a little nap…"

"No, Hiro-san. You need to stay awake for a little while longer." Nowaki stood up and grasped the top of the comforter. "Jet lag sucks, I know. And in order to get over it, you need to get up."

"Nnn…"

"Hiro-san…" The tone was warning. Nowaki waited for a moment and when Hiroki still refused to move, he quickly tore the blanket from Hiroki's body and threw it off the end of the bed.

"Hey!" Hiroki yelled, the cold gripping his body as he blindly reached for the covers. Annoyed, he sat up and started crawling towards the edge to grab the blankets back up, but Nowaki stopped him by standing on the sheets. It took Hiroki a moment to realize Nowaki already had his boxers on.

"Put this on, it's cold." A shirt was thrown on Hiroki's disheveled head, followed by the grey underwear he'd been wearing. Nowaki stepped into his jeans and began to pull them up.

"Wait; is there semen on my back?" He reached back and ran his hand over the lower part of his spine. It was dry and sticky. "Hmm...you probably have it all over your stomach, too."

Nowaki's pants were unzipped and fully open as he looked down at his defined chest. Beneath his ribcage, he could distinctly see the dried, translucent liquid shining in the incandescent light. He touched it and when the finger stuck to his skin, he grimaced. "Yeah, I do. I'll go get a washcloth."

While Nowaki was gone, Hiroki leaned back on the bed and quickly shimmied on his underwear. He stared at the ceiling for a moment before deciding to take a brief observation of his surroundings. The bedroom wasn't huge, but for the very few things that Nowaki had, it was more than enough room. The queen-sized bed was located against the eastern wall, facing the bedroom door while a small closet was on the north wall, right off to his left. He assumed there wouldn't be much in there apart from some luggage and a couple of suits and jackets. An old, moderately sized dresser that had been pained black to match the bed frame was sitting off to his left, against the southern wall. There was a large, ovular mirror attached to the back, and an assortment of everyday items decorated its marred surface; medical textbooks, pens, a hair brush, tissues, and several pictures of them together.

Hiroki wasn't shocked to find the floor devoid of dirty clothes or trash, with the exception of his discarded sweater. The med student was quite the neat freak and back in Japan, Hiroki remembered that his apartment had always been perfectly spotless. Hiroki was surprised that the gaming area in the living room was as disorganized as it was—if it were solely up to Nowaki, the games probably would've been alphabetized by genre in a streak-free glass case.

Nowaki reemerged a few minutes later, his stomach having already been wiped down in the bathroom. He sat down beside Hiroki and asked for him to turn so he could clean the older man's back.

"I can clean myself off," Hiroki insisted, reaching for the washcloth. Nowaki pulled his hand further away.

"It'll be easier for me to do it; I don't think you're flexible enough. It's all over your back."

After glaring at Nowaki for a short moment Hiroki frowned and whirled to the right, presenting his semen-streaked back to the younger man. The warm, soft washcloth felt heavenly on his cold skin. "All over it? Jeez, how much did you come?"

"Well, it's been a long time since we had phone sex, and I don't jerk off too often. So, a lot."

Hiroki crossed his arms. "Yeah…I can't afford it. It cost me like 4000 yen when we did that back in September. Stupid international calling fees. Anyway, why don't you just jerk off? It's not a big deal."

Heat radiated from Nowaki's left hand he rested it on Hiroki's shoulder. "Hmm, am I to take that to mean _you_ jerk off a lot since I'm not there?" Smiling lips pressed to the crest of Hiroki's scapula.

"No," Hiroki answered quickly. "No, not a lot."

Nowaki's head cocked to the side in an attempt to look Hiroki in the face. "Every once in a while?"

"…Maybe…"

The hand stopped washing and skillfully tossed the soiled rag in the hamper. "How do you do it, when you're by yourself?"

"Look, perv, I'm not going to share my masturbation habits with you. Now, where'd my shirt go?"

"Right there." Nowaki pointed toward the white t-shirt as it lay on the ground. "And why not?" Nowaki wrapped his arms around Hiroki's torso after he had stooped down to pick up the shirt. "It's just me," he said with a smile, mimicking Hiroki's own words from earlier.

"Because it's stupid and embarrassing," Hiroki answered. "Now get off and let me put on my shirt, I'm freezing here."

Nowaki released Hiroki while the older man slid his shirt on and stood up, walking towards the closet door. The fabric was cold to against Hiroki's skin, having lain on the ground for so long. When Nowaki bent over to pick up Hiroki's jeans and sweater, Hiroki couldn't help but ogle over his boyfriend's perfectly rounded ass. Before Hiroki could avert his gaze Nowaki turned and tossed the sweater at him. The way Nowaki smiled at him immediately told Hiroki he'd been caught.

"What does that say?" Hiroki asked quickly, changing the subject. He uncrossed his legs and leaned forward to point at the strange English words on Nowaki's shirt.

"New York University School of Medicine, established in 1841," Nowaki answered, pointing to the words as he read them aloud in the Japanese correspondent.

"Oh, cool."

"Do you want it?"

Hiroki blinked. "Huh? No, it'll be too big on me."

"You can wear it to bed or something."

"…You just want to see me wear your clothes, don't you?"

Nowaki smiled. "Well, it is cute to see you wear my stuff…"

"Why?" The left side of Hiroki's face was half-scrunched in mild disgust.

Shrugging, Nowaki took a step toward the bed. "I don't know. I guess because my clothes are so much bigger, it makes you look all small and cute in comparison."

"Just buy me one in my size," Hiroki said, trying to stray away from the "Hiro-san is so adorable" subject.

"You might want to put these on, in case Ryan comes back soon. Macy's isn't that far away and he's been gone a while." He tossed the jeans at Hiroki.

"Speaking of whom…your roommate, Ryan. Is he…?" Hiroki trailed off, hoping Nowaki would catch his drift.

"Gay? No. I don't think so, anyway. He's brought a couple of girls here before, so I just assumed he's straight.

"And he doesn't know you're gay, I'm presuming."

Frowning, Nowaki bowed his head and stared at the ground. "No. I never told him."

"Are you _going_ to tell him?"

"Well, I kinda have to, don't I?" Nowaki asked, looking up.

"Not necessarily."

"But I should."

"Well…" Hiroki trailed off, standing up from bed for a moment so he could shimmy his jeans on.

"I'll sit him down and explain it to him when he gets back."

"You think that's the best choice?" Hiroki sat back down and outstretched his arm, silently asking Nowaki for his sweater.

After handing over the clothing, Nowaki shrugged again. "I don't know. But he'd probably find out eventually, so..."

"Do you think…" Hiroki frowned as he pulled the sweater on. "…he'll be disgusted? Or angry?"

"Well, it's…certainly possible," Nowaki sighed, sitting on the bed next to Hiroki. "But he's never given me a reason to think he's homophobic. I've told some of my female colleagues about you, and they don't mind."

"Girls are a little more understanding than guys."

"But some of the guys I work with know, too. They haven't treated me any different after the fact. I think Americans are just more open about the whole idea."

"Wait, you told your co-workers, but not your roommate?"

"Well, the girls kept asking me out on dates and stuff, and I got tired of coming up with lame excuses like, 'I have to finish my paper,' or, 'I have an early class.' It was just easier to just tell them so they'd shut up. Plus, not all of my co-workers know…Ryan's my co-worker…he doesn't know."

Hiroki snickered. "Anyway, should I be there when you tell him?"

Nowaki thought about it for a moment. "Well, it'd be nice to have some moral support, but I'm afraid he may think we're ganging up on him."

"Maybe I'll just come back in here and wait it out. It's already uncomfortable enough."

"I'm surprised you're so okay with me telling him. Normally you hate it when people know about our relationship."

"Well…he doesn't really know me, and I'll only be here for a little while. It's you I'm concerned about; you have to live with him."

"I wanted to tell him from day one, but then I didn't, so I want to do it now. Better late then never, right? Besides, it'd be a whole lot worse if he accidentally walked in on us having sex and we hadn't already told him."

"And _why_ would he walk in on us having sex?"

"The couch is very comfortable..." Nowaki lowered his eyes and smiled suggestively. When he reached out to wrap his arms around Hiroki again, Hiroki batted his arms away and stood up.

"I'm not going to do it anywhere your roommate could ever possibly catch us, perv. But actually, we should probably go out into the living room and watch TV or something. Normally, two male friends don't go into the bedroom and shut the door. Come on." Hiroki turned and opened the door, strolling into the living room.

"I'll be there in a second, let me make the bed," Nowaki called from inside the bedroom. Hiroki could hear Nowaki's hurried footsteps as he quickly rearranged the blankets on the bed.

Hiroki's luggage was still open from Nowaki's frenzied search for lube, so he quickly closed the top and zipped it back up. He grabbed what he hoped was the correct remote (there were three of them) and clicked the large red power button on the top, watching as the screen flickered and eventually clicked turned on. Hiroki gathered from the white-covered map of the United States and surprisingly high temperatures that he was watching a weather forecast. _Oh, that's right; the United States uses Fahrenheit, so 20 degrees Fahrenheit is probably about...-5 or -6 degrees Celsius?_

A few minutes later, Nowaki entered the living room. "Earlier, wasn't there something you wanted to talk to me about, Hiro-san?"

Realization dawned on Hiroki as he'd momentarily forgotten about the whole 'Tanaka' situation. Nowaki sat down beside him and Hiroki handed him the remote. "Turn the TV down for me. This is…pretty important."

Nowaki frowned a little as he hit the 'volume' button. "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing's wrong, it's just…" Hiroki turned and crossed his legs so he could face Nowaki head-on. "This isn't a guaranteed thing, and it's highly unlikely, but I felt like I needed to tell you."

"Tell me what?" Nowaki pushed, turning his body as well. The two sat facing each other while Hiroki stared at his hands and thought of where he should start.

"Okay." Hiroki took a deep breath and met Nowaki's eyes. "When I was on the plane to come here, I sat beside a lady. She was probably 40 or so, very nice. We got to talking about why we were coming to America, and I mentioned I was going to visit my friend who was studying abroad." Nowaki was nodding and humming agreements in the correct places. "After concluding that I was _actually_ coming to visit my boyfriend and not just my friend, she asked what your name was and what you looked like. I didn't think it was a big deal, so I told her your name and showed a picture of you, but she got…really quiet after that." Nowaki's eyebrows had furrowed slightly. "She recognized that 'Kusama' was an orphanage in Tokyo, which provoked the whole 'orphan' conversation. I didn't tell her everything but just the basics, and after that she started asking me weird questions about you, like if you knew who your birth parents were.

"I told her that you never knew them, that you'd been left at Kusama when you were just a few weeks old." Nowaki had grown very still, brow knitted in a deep frown. "The flight was mostly normal after that, with us just talking about random things. Occasionally she'd spring a question on me but that was the extent of it. But then, towards the end of the flight, she asked me if she could show me a picture. I said sure, so she pulled out an old, faded Polaroid from between two of her credit cards. The picture was of a baby with black hair and blue eyes, and he had a mole on his neck, right…" Hiroki bit down on his lip as he reached out and touched the left side of Nowaki's neck, right where an average-sized, dark brown mole was located, "here. She asked me if I thought that was what Kusama-san would've looked like as a baby."

Nowaki was silent for several long minutes, during which Hiroki had grabbed his hands and squeezed his fingers in reassurance. "What did you tell her?" he finally asked. The voice was gruff and shaky.

"No." When Nowaki didn't respond, Hiroki continued, "Should I have…?"

"Well…do you think it actually looked like me?"

Hiroki tilted his head and bit his lip, hesitating. "Yes," he whispered, nodding.

"So…" Nowaki cleared his throat. "What are you trying to tell me?" his voice was somewhat shaky.

"I think that this lady could very well be your birth mom."

A stray tear leaked from Nowaki's eye and Hiroki immediately reached up to wipe it away. His eyes were soft and sympathetic as the younger man fought back the tears that tried to follow its lead.

"Did she mention anything about it to you?" Nowaki's index finger touched the crease of his eye to gather the small tear that had collected there.

"No. I think she was afraid to." Hiroki reached up and held Nowaki's wrist. "But, why else would she carry around that picture all these years?"

"So you think…because she kept the picture…she'd been looking for me or something?"

"I don't know for sure, but…I think it's possible."

"But she just left me there—"

"You don't know that for sure," Hiroki gently interjected. "It may not have been her choice."

"So…What should I do?" he croaked, his throat burning as it constricted. He felt like an idiot for crying in front of Hiroki over something so pointless.

Hiroki pushed himself forward with his hands and wrapped them around Nowaki's head. "You don't have to hold back your tears. I understand."

Nowaki twisted his chin to look over and meet the same shining, russet-colored eyes that he fell so madly in love with all those years ago. The connection of their gaze was so powerful; he swore he could hear Hiroki's thoughts through his eyes. _I don't think you're weak if you cry. It's not stupid. You won't look any different to me, and I won't think any less of you, because I love you. I'll support you, whatever you choose._ The amount of trust Nowaki felt through just looking in Hiroki's eyes only made him want to cry even more. Was it possible for him to fall even _more_ in love with Hiroki?

"No, I'm fine." Nowaki brought a fist up in an attempt to cover his eyes. "I shouldn't be crying over something like this. It's stupid! Shouldn't I be happy? And I mean, this isn't even a guaranteed thing." Nowaki's voice cracked again as his chest burned from holding back the tears.

"You don't necessarily have to be happy." One of Hiroki's hands moved down to stroke Nowaki's farthest shoulder while the other pushed back his long hair. "It's a tricky thing. And, you're right; it's _not_ guaranteed." He laid his temple on the top of the younger man's clavicle. "But from the moment I saw her eyes, my gut told me there was something familiar about them. Then, when I saw the picture of that baby, I knew: those were your eyes."

_**To be continued…**_

**X X X**

**Well. That seems sufficient for today. I have lots more written in my notebook; I just gotta type it out and fix it up.**

**All I want for Christmas is reviews. And in return, I'll post the chapters up quicker. It's a win-win situation!**


	7. Accident

**I don't own Junjo Romantica or anything else mentioned in this story…I merely use them as a pawn in my sexual games.**

**A number of reviewers have mentioned it and I _totally_ forgot about that part in the anime where Hiroki is grading Nowaki's English homework. I suppose he can read English better than I originally planned/thought…DANG IT. I just figured that, well, my cousin lives in China and can speak the Cantonese dialect fluently, but she can't read Chinese characters to save her life, despite _living_ in China for 5 years and in addition, speaking fluent Japanese. So, I just kinda played off that with Hiroki's English reading troubles. The argument could be made since the alphabet systems are so vastly different, but he _is_a Literature professor, so I can imagine that he'd have to be able to read English texts. Oops. (I am, however, keeping the bit about Nowaki's t-shirt. "New York University School of Medicine, established in 1841" isn't exactly "basic English skills" apart from "School" or "University".) So I went back and have fixed those minor errors; I hope they didn't subtract from the story too much. It's kind of a minor thing but it's the small things that add depth, so I felt obligated to fix them. If you want to go back and re-read those parts with a more correct outlook, they're there.**

**Also, my excuse for why this is so late: well, Christmas time is obviously very busy (I didn't get on the computer for two straight days), and in addition, a Christmas Egoist chapter was published, so naturally, I didn't rest until I found it. After re-reading the chapter a couple dozen times (well, not so much reading as re-looking at the pictures; I can't read Chinese) I was enamored by it and I had to make myself a wallpaper out of my favorite bits (I've become quite acclimated with Photoshop over the past 5 years). My old one of the Egoist library scene was getting tired, anyway…it sucks that all my creative energy comes out at night.**

**X X X**

"I-I…um…" Nowaki started, coughing awkwardly. "I don't…I don't know. Wh-what, what do I do?"

"Well…" Hiroki paused for a moment while he looped his right leg over Nowaki's lap to sit on it. "I don't know. I'm as lost as you are." He lowered his gaze to Nowaki's shirt, absently picking at small strands of hair and lint that stuck to the fabric. Avoiding the sullen look in the younger man's eyes.

"Well…do you even know her name?" Nowaki asked, stroking Hiroki's hip with one hand and rubbing his bloodshot eyes with the other.

"Her name is Tanaka Reika."

"…I see…" Nowaki paused for a moment and looked up into the light, sniffling. "I, um…it-it's just…"

"I know," Hiroki whispered, leaning his head on the larger man's shoulder. Needing a temporary distraction, Nowaki turned his head and captured Hiroki's lips, wrapping his arms around Hiroki in a crushing embrace. A tongue pushed itself into Hiroki's mouth while an eager hand grabbed his ass, but Hiroki didn't have the heart to deny Nowaki anything at that moment. He stroked the back of Nowaki's neck and allowed himself to be groped and kissed to his partner's content.

Their senses quickly became concentrated on the other; so absorbed in the comfort of their partner's embrace that neither heard the tell-tale sound of a door unlocking and opening until it was too late.

"…What the fuck?"

Both sets of eyes shot open and Hiroki quickly popped up without even thinking, his lips nervously pursing together as he stood with his back facing the television. Nowaki's eyes were still slightly pink from crying, one of his hands coming up to cover his slack mouth. Luckily, due to their passionate encounter earlier that morning neither had the energy to sport another erection, but their kiss-bruised lips and tousled hair immediately gave away what they'd been up to in the roommate's absence.

"Uh, I'll just go now, I seem to have opened the door to some weird, gay, alternate universe."

"Hold on, Ryan!" Nowaki called, side-stepping Hiroki as he stood up and bolted for the door. Ryan was already in the hall as Nowaki ran out, leaving Hiroki alone in the apartment to hold his head in his hands.

Nowaki quickly flagged the roommate down and stopped him by grabbing his shoulders. "I'm really, really sorry you saw that…"

Ryan shook Nowaki's hands off, the wet plastic bag rustling in his hand as he whirled around. "Look, I don't really care that I saw you two…kissing…" Ryan's face turned unpleasant as he recalled the memory. "But, uh, hello…you're _gay_? What? Explanation, please?"

Frowning, Nowaki awkwardly scratched his eye and looked towards the ground. "Can we, uh, discuss this inside, please?"

"'_Discuss this_'? What is there to _discuss_? 'Oh hi, yeah well sorry I didn't tell you I was gay even though I only had a million chances to do it, but I just didn't think it was necessary given we live together and instead, I thought I'd wait until a strange Japanese man came to visit and invite you to have a threesome with us!'" Ryan was shouting by the time the sentence was finished.

"You're being so loud!" Nowaki hissed, hoping their neighbors hadn't heard Ryan's outburst. "And what the fuck are you even talking about? A _threesome_? Huh?"

"I'll be going, now," Ryan whispered angrily, mocking Nowaki's reproof to be quiet.

"No, let me ex—"

"I'm sorry, Ryan," said a voice from behind both of them. Ryan stopped in his tracks, feeling more obligated to listen to his guest than his lying roommate. "This is my fault…I should not have come. I should leave. Excuse me." Hiroki quickly turned and walked back into the apartment, closing the door behind him.

Suddenly torn between his desire to smooth things with Ryan and his desire to have Hiroki stay, Nowaki took a step towards the door, calling out in Japanese, "hold on, Hiro-san, please don't go anywhere! Just give me a few minutes!" before switching back to English and running towards an escaping Ryan, "_please_ just let me explain."

Finally, Ryan stopped and turned, sighing. "Look, you go talk to him or whatever you need to do and I'll be back later."

"No! But, you're …and Hiro-san is…and now I have to deal with finding my mother…and I'm all…" Nowaki stopped and sat down in the hallway, holding his head in his hands. All of the situations that had been presented to him over the last two minutes came crashing down without warning, leaving Nowaki momentarily paralyzed with extreme anxiety.

At the mention of "mother", Ryan stopped and began to look concerned. "Wait, did you just say you needed to find your mother?"

"Mmhmm…" Nowaki nodded before leaning his head back and staring at the ceiling, trying to decide what to do next. His mother he wouldn't have to deal with until later, and Ryan would be back, but Hiroki could very easily leave while he was sulking out in the hallway…

"But I thought you were an orphan?"

"I am…or I thought I was..." Nowaki stood up suddenly, turning his back to Ryan as he began to walk towards the door. "But right now, I need to make sure Hiro-san doesn't leave."

Nowaki ran into the house and slammed the door, leaving Ryan outside bask in his own wonder. He caught Hiroki just as he was tying his shoes; his jacket perched for a quick getaway on the arm of the couch. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you I was coming," Hiroki murmured, sitting upright as he finished lacing the knot. Nowaki came around to the front of the couch and placed both hands on either side of Hiroki's shoulders, pushing the older man back against the cushions. "And I'm even more sorry that I came at all…" As Nowaki's face drew closer Hiroki averted his gaze to the floor, much to Nowaki's distress.

"Hiro-san, don't say that," Nowaki said, squeezing his eyes shut and kneeling down between Hiroki's legs. "Please don't say that. I'm so unbelievably happy that you came…please don't leave me now…" Nowaki moved his arms so that they were holding Hiroki's stomach.

"No, I need to. Your roommate is pissed at you and it's my fault...If I stay here I'll make things worse for you." He weakly tried to escape Nowaki's grasp but the younger man just tightened his arms in order to keep him still.

"No! Hiro-san, it's not your fault, it's mine; I should've told him from the start, anyway. It was just unfortunate that he walked in."

"It doesn't matter. If he kicks you out because of me I'll hate myself, so I need to go."

Nowaki forcefully pushed his forehead against Hiroki's, sliding his hands up and hugging Hiroki's shoulders. The older man didn't attempt to move as he was embraced. "I've missed you so much over the past few months…so many times I've thought about ditching the program and coming back to Japan, but I know that's not what you would want me to do. But…my dreams have finally come true, and you're here, even if it's just temporary. Please don't leave me yet."

When Nowaki tried to kiss him Hiroki turned his head to the left, only to find the roommate standing in the entryway watching their exchange. His face paled and he poked Nowaki, who had moved on to kiss his neck. "Ryan's in here," he whispered, placing a hand on Nowaki's shoulder.

Nowaki didn't bother releasing Hiroki as he turned his head, frowning. "I thought you were going be back later?" The voice surprised Hiroki with its coldness.

"I was going to…" Ryan coughed awkwardly and took a step closer, trying to ignore the fact that his roommate was forcefully embracing another man, "But then you mentioned that thing with your mother. You seemed pretty upset about it, so it didn't think it was fair for me to leave you when you're so confused just because of my bias."

"I just learned about this so I hardly know anything myself." There was an underlying satisfaction and comfort in hugging Hiroki so close to him, which made Nowaki so reluctant to let go of the older man, but he knew he needed to in order to properly explain the situation to Ryan. "I'm surprised you care," Nowaki muttered, standing up and crossing his arms.

"Look, man, I'm sorry about what I said in the hall, but…can you just tell me exactly what the hell is going on?"

He took a deep breath before saying, "Ryan, Hiro-san is actually my boyfriend, and he came to visit me."

Ryan shook his jacket off and crossed his arms, biting his bottom lip. "And why did you never tell me you had a…boyfriend…before?" Ryan sounded incredibly uncomfortable using the term 'boyfriend'.

"Because I thought maybe you'd be all grossed out, because most guys are, and I was afraid you wouldn't want me to be your roommate anymore."

"Well, you know that not telling me runs a higher risk of that happening." Nowaki almost laughed at how Ryan had unconsciously repeated Hiroki's exact words concerning the same situation. "I wouldn't have cared if you'd told me outright."

"Then what the hell was that outburst out in the hall with that 'threesome' thing?" he glanced over at Hiroki briefly and noticed his face didn't change at the mention of the word 'threesome'. It was a huge relief that Hiroki didn't understand that particular English word—one less explanation he'd have to dish out.

"Well, I don't know, I was just…mad."

Nowaki shook his head and shifted his weight from one leg to the other. "Anyway, when you walked in, Hiro-san was telling me that—"

"'Telling you?' How exactly is making out on the couch 'telling you' something?" the tone wasn't angry but scolding and reproved.

"Are you going to let me explain the thing with my mother?" Nowaki's voice was surprisingly even given the condescending tone of Ryan's previous statement. Was the man bi-polar or something? He was so accommodating just a few seconds ago!

"Do you want me to leave now?"

Nowaki angrily pursed his lips and uncrossed his arms, letting them drop to his sides. "Anyway, he was telling me about how, when he was on the plane to come here, he thinks he sat beside my birth mother.

"How do you even know it was her?"

"Well, we don't, but…" Nowaki looked back at Hiroki. "…we have a pretty good idea."

"The picture looked exactly like Nowaki," Hiroki gently cut in, looking over to Ryan, trying to gain some leverage in the conversation. Hoping that Ryan would be less likely to storm out if he had anything to do with it.

"And that's all I know, because you walked in right as I was asking about her." Nowaki sat down on the couch beside Hiroki, trying to focus on the muted weather forecast.

Ryan slowly stepped towards the center of the living room, awkwardly sitting down in the large chair that sat catty-cornered from the couch. "Well, what are you going to do about it?"

"I…" Nowaki glanced back to Hiroki. "…don't know. We're still trying to figure that out."

"Well, I was thinking," Hiroki started, forgetting about Ryan's presence as he explained his idea in Japanese, "I know where her hotel is at—she told me she was staying at the Hilton Garden Inn in Times Square and that she would be having all-day meetings there, too. If we wake up early enough tomorrow, probably 6 or so, we can probably catch her just as she's headed to the meeting."

"But she probably won't have time to talk then, if she needs to get to her meeting."

"I'm not finished…since she has to go to a meeting we can set up dinner plans for that and have plenty of time to talk then."

"But don't you think the impending introduction of her son will distract her from doing her job properly?"

"Then I'll ask her by myself. If she just thinks it's me she probably won't think too much about it. I'll just say…I want to get to know you better or some crap like that."

Nowaki nodded, absently picking his thumbnail as he considered the plan. "I think…I think that's a good idea."

Hiroki nodded, rubbing Nowaki's right shoulder briefly before reaching down to untie his shoes. "I guess I'll take these off."

"Thank you," Nowaki whispered, desperately wanting to kiss the older man at that moment but that they had an attentive audience. He settled for placing a hand on the small of Hiroki's back when he bent over, rubbing it slowly. When the older man finished sliding off his shoes he sat back up, somewhat disappointed when Nowaki didn't keep an arm wrapped around him. Not that he'd wanted it there or anything.

When the two remained silent, Ryan figured the conversation was over and leaned forward to say, "Okay the only thing I got from that whole conversation was 'Hilton Garden Inn' and 'Times Square'. What's going on with your mom?"

"Well, basically…" Nowaki turned his body slightly and explained the more important aspects of the conversation to Ryan in English, vaguely registering in the back of his mind that Hiroki had grabbed the TV remote and changed the channel, though it remained muted. "Do you think that'll work?"

"Since that's all you know about her, that's probably your best shot." He looked down at his hands for a moment before continuing, "And listen, dude, I'm really sorry about what I said before. I was still angry because they ran out of what I wanted at Macy's and the cab driver I had was an asshole, so—"

"If they didn't have what you wanted, what's in the bag?"

"They had Calvin Klein underwear for half-off."

Nowaki stifled a laugh and leaned back on the couch, resisting the urge to place an arm over Hiroki's shoulders. "Hiro-san, is there…anything else you learned about her?"

Hiroki lazily turned his head, studying Nowaki for a moment before answering, "Wouldn't you rather hear it from her yourself?"

"Yeah, but…if you know…"

"Her name is Tanaka Reika and she works in advertising, which is why she's in New York. Her husband's name is Mafuyu—"

"D-do you think that, uh…he could be my…dad?"

"Maybe…but he's a headhunter and is in Germany right now for work. She never mentioned having children so I'm just assuming they don't have any. They live in the Shinjuku distract of Tokyo after moving from the Bunkyo district a few months ago."

"That's really close…"

"I know."

Nowaki leaned forward with his head in his hands, sighing. "Do you think we could catch her if we went there today?"

"If we waited in the lobby there's a small chance we might see her but…I think we should just wait until tomorrow. I'm tired and there's no guarantee we'll even see her."

"I know I need to wait, but I don't know if I can…" Nowaki trailed off in an exaggerated whine, bouncing his legs impatiently.

"Well, you're going to have to."

_**To be continued…**_

**X X X**

**Obviously, I'm not finished this fic by Christmas; time got away from me. Oh well—it's just based around Christmastime, it doesn't really affect the story in any way. Let's see if I can finish it up by my birthday in February?**

Also, to thoseparisnights: LEEROY JENKINS! World of Warcraft! Oh, you must search it up on Youtube! It's basically the most epic battle-cry of the geek world.

A big thank you to every single one of you beautiful reviewers—each and every review adds a spark to my day.


	8. Discussions

**I don't own Junjo Romantica or anything else mentioned in this story…I merely use them as a pawn in my sexual games.**

**X X X**

The remainder of the day had been frightfully uneventful. The three of them had played video games for several hours (mostly to keep Nowaki's mind off of the impending meeting with his mother, but also to make sure that his hands were occupied with something other than Hiroki). They'd ordered pizza at four but before the pizza arrived Hiroki had passed out on the couch, leaving Nowaki to carry him into the bedroom and deposit him on the bed. Nowaki also stripped Hiroki of his jeans and sweater before tucking him beneath the covers, making sure the older man would be somewhat comfortable when he awoke.

When Nowaki had returned to the living room an action movie had come on, quickly engulfing the two roommates in the riveting combat of post-modern warfare. When it finally ended more than two hours later, Ryan spoke, breaking them of their surprisingly comfortable silence he they flipped through the channels.

"Are you guys doing anything for Christmas?"

The question surprised Nowaki with its out-of-the-blueness. "I never thought to ask him...so I don't know. Why?"

"I was just wondering. My parents probably wouldn't mind if you both joined us for Christmas dinner, especially if I mentioned you two had never experienced an American Christmas."

Nowaki regarded him with a genuine smile. "Thanks, I appreciate that, but I'd like to ask Hiro-san first before I go off making plans for us."

"Sure, sure." Ryan finally found an interesting program and laid the remote on the coffee table. "So, I'm curious. What exactly do people in Japan do for Christmas?"

Nowaki took a few minutes to think about the stereotypical Christmas in Japan, having never really celebrating one himself. "Well, Christmas isn't a national holiday in Japan like it is here, and it's even more commercialized. But typically, on Christmas Eve you have Christmas cake, which is either brought home by the father on his way home from work, or prepared by the mother if the father has to work that night." Ryan had turned slightly to show he was sincerely interested in how other nationalities celebrate the season.

"Christmas Eve is also very romantic, so fancy restaurants and hotels are booked solid. If you ask to spend Christmas Eve with someone, it's viewed as a very romantic thing…it's actually more like an American Valentine's Day."

"Really?" Ryan's voice was interested and surprised.

"Mmhmm. Then on Christmas Day, you have a 'chicken dinner', which would probably be ordered from KFC. Usually the gifts you exchange are cute little things like candy or cakes, teddy bears, rings, or small do-it-yourself items. Also, there are tons of light displays that are put up around the end of October."

"Huh, that just seems so different…and you do all that stuff, every year?"

The corner of Nowaki's mouth turned up in a half-smile, though the rest of his face took on a mask of disappointment. "No. That's just what most people do…It's probably been ten years or so since I've had a Christmas cake. Hiro-san and I have never really celebrated Christmas because, each and every year, it always seems to work out that one of us has to work. We've never exchanged presents or anything…" Nowaki's voice had a hint of resigned frustration as he stated the last few facts through frowning lips.

Ryan's face had cocked to the side when Nowaki had mentioned 'each and every year'. "Um, exactly how long have you guys been together?"

"About five and a half years, but this will be our sixth holiday season together."

Eyes bugging out, Ryan asked exasperatedly, "And you've_ never_ done anything Christmas-y?"

"Nope," Nowaki sighed, lazily resting his head against the back of the couch.

"That…sucks."

Nowaki turned his head without picking it up from the cushion. "Tell me about it."

"Jeez, after six years, most couples would be married with kids by now."

Nowaki crossed his arms and tried to watch the mindless sitcom that was playing. "Gay marriage isn't legal in Japan," he sighed, sadness lacing his voice.

"It's legal in Canada," Ryan rattled off, trying to make his tone sound dismissive.

"Hmm…" Nowaki hummed, not sure how to answer that.

When Nowaki remained silent, Ryan continued, "it's an eight hour drive but you could probably make it a two-day trip."

Nowaki pulled one of his long legs up and tucked the heel beneath his bottom, suspiciously narrowing his eyes at Ryan for a minute. When he noticed Nowaki staring at him, Ryan's eyes widened in worry. "What, do I have pizza on my face or something?" he asked, rubbing his mouth self-consciously.

Nowaki hummed a laugh. "No, but…why do you suddenly care so much? Earlier you had a hard time saying the term 'boyfriend', now you're suggesting I drive up to Canada to tie the knot."

"I'm not suggesting it," Ryan pressed, a rosy flush highlighting his cheeks. He quickly managed to will it away as he continued, "I was just stating a fact."

"Hiro-san and I aren't ready to be married, anyway."

"…really? After _five years_?"

"We don't even live together," Nowaki muttered, standing suddenly. He turned and marched into the kitchen, grabbing a slice of lukewarm pizza from the grease-stained box on the counter. Rather than risk getting crumbs all over the floor he leaned up against the edge of the sink, letting them drop in there as he continued to watch TV from the kitchen.

"How can you not…live together?" Ryan asked, standing and moving to the island.

"We just…don't…" Nowaki tore off a piece of pepperoni and popped it in his mouth.

"…But you want to," Ryan suggested, sensing the dissatisfaction in Nowaki's tone. He grabbed the barstool on the far right and pulled it out before plopping down on it.

Nowaki shrugged. "I'd love to," he sighed.

"Then why not ask?"

"Because if he says no, I don't think I could handle that."

"And…" Ryan turned his head to the side in a questioning way, "…why would he say no?"

Staring at the hardened crust, Nowaki absently moved his thumb and index finger to twist the food in his hand. "Again, I must ask," he moved his gaze to Ryan, "why do you suddenly care so much?" he took a bite, surprised at how much better the food tasted cold.

Ryan shrugged, placing his elbows on the counter and clasping his hands together. "I'm just…surprised."

"Surprised?" When Ryan didn't elaborate, Nowaki continued, "Surprised about what?"

"I've just never seen a gay couple interact before, and I was just surprised at how…normal it was."

"…what do you mean, 'normal'?" Nowaki asked, dusting his hands off over the sink as he finished off the last of his petite slice. He didn't really feel offended by Ryan's designation of them being 'normal' but he was interested to know how it coincided.

"Well, earlier, when we were playing video games. All we were doing was drinking and hanging out, and you guys were so normal towards one another."

"Again…_'normal'_?"

"Like, you weren't being all gross by kissing or groping each other every chance you got. It was actually really funny to listen to you yell at each other when we were racing and when he kept calling you a pansy for screaming while you played Fatal Frame." 

"Hey, those twins just kept appearing out of nowhere!" Nowaki shouted playfully, defending himself. "You had no way of knowing if they were going to attack or just stand there like a creep! Plus there was no way of telling which one was the twin and which was the doll…"

"If you waited for the Shutter Chance you'd know…"

"But they were gonna kill me!" Nowaki cried. Ryan laughed but didn't say anything else, so Nowaki took that opportunity to switch back to their earlier discussion. "Anyway, why would we be kissing in between playing video games?" 

"I thought that was just normal when you played video games with your girl—friend..." Ryan finished awkwardly, unsure of whether he'd chosen the correct term. When Nowaki didn't say anything, Ryan continued, "Like whenever I'd play video games with my girlfriends around, they'd constantly ask for kisses and crap because I wasn't focusing solely on them."

"That's…" Nowaki grimaced. "…stupid."

Ryan shrugged. "I just thought it was normal."

"Maybe it's because that, as guys, we understand that there are more important matters at hand when we play video games."

"But is that what being gay is like? Hanging out with one of your guy friends all day long?"

Nowaki furrowed his eyebrows. "'Hanging out' the way you mean it doesn't quite cover it all…"

"But, basically?"

Sighing, Nowaki rose up from his crouched-over position and placed his hands on the rim of the sink. "Okay. Basically, imagine that you're hanging out with your best guy friend all day, playing video games and drinking and all that crap you usually do…" when he noticed Ryan considering it, he pressed on, "then, after eating dinner together, you go back into the bedroom and have mind-blowing sex for hours on end. _That's_ pretty much what it's like."

Ryan's face contorted at the last part of Nowaki's straightforward explanation. "Yeah…I don't know about that. Sounds okay up until you get to the sex part."

"And you do realize that's, like, the main attraction of it all?"

"Meh…" Ryan shivered as he seemed to give the last bit even more thought. "Sounds…painful." Ryan seemed to hesitate and use 'painful' in the place of another word, but Nowaki didn't care. "No thanks."

Nowaki shrugged. "It's not painful if you do it right." He moved from behind the island and opened the fridge, grabbing a bottle of water and returning to the sofa.

After shivering one more time, Ryan turned but didn't retreat from the kitchen. "So anyway, remember that one part in the movie? How cool was it when…"

Hiroki silently stepped away from the door, trailing his fingers down the wooden trim for a long moment before turning and heading for his luggage. He unzipped his backpack and grabbed the laptop, tip-toeing back to the bed in an attempt to avoid the creakier parts of the floor. After flipping the screen up and hitting the power button, Hiroki scooted in towards the middle of the bed, opting to sit cross-legged as he tapped in his password. The home screen appeared and Hiroki was quick to connect to the internet so he could begin his hunt for two-bedroom apartments in Tokyo.

**X X X**

The bedroom doorknob was suddenly being turned, causing Hiroki to jump at the unexpected noise. A sliver of light spilled into the room as Nowaki tip-toed inside, smiling when he saw Hiroki's concentrated face illuminated by the bright laptop. "You're up," he said, flicking on the lights.

"Yeah, I was just finishing up this paper. Do you have a printer?"

"No, but we can drop by the library tomorrow, that's where I always print my papers out at."

"Sounds good," Hiroki said, pasting the final link to the bottom of the e-mail. He quickly sent the message to himself while Nowaki took his jeans off and tossed them in the hamper. Just as Nowaki sat behind him to see what he was up to, Hiroki shut the screen. "Hi," he said in a small voice, turning his head in Nowaki's direction.

"Hi," Nowaki mimicked in an equally small voice, leaning in to quickly peck Hiroki on the lips. "How was your nap?"

"Nice, but I'm still really tired…what time is it?"

Nowaki twisted his wrist inward so he could see the display of his watch. "9:02," he answered, placing the same hand on Hiroki's back. "I thought we should get to bed early so we don't miss Tanaka-san tomorrow morning."

"Good idea. When do you want to wake up?"

"Well, do you know when the meeting is supposed to start?"

Hiroki thought about it. "I think she told me around 7 or so. Maybe we should get to the hotel at 6:30, then? So we don't miss her?"

"Okay. Well, Times Square is like a 20 minute cab ride away, and it will probably take us 10 minutes to get ready—"

"I would like to get a shower in the morning, though, so add another 10 minutes for me."

"Need some help with that shower?" Nowaki murmured silkily, placing his other hand on Hiroki's shoulder and kneading.

"No way, horn-dog. We wouldn't have time for that anyway."

"But I promise I won't do anything! I really need a shower, too."

"Take one right now."

"So tired…"

"Then just wash your hair in the sink while I'm in the shower."

"Come on, please?" Nowaki stooped down and began sucking on Hiroki's earlobe, relishing the sound of the older man's voice as it wavered with pleasure.

"Ugh…I'll…think about it. But I swear, if you try _anything_, I'm going to bite your dick off."

"That's fair," Nowaki reasoned, moving his arms so they were squeezing Hiroki's midsection.

Hiroki yawned suddenly, picking his laptop up in one hand and nudging Nowaki's forearm. "Be a good boy and plug this in for me."

Nowaki smiled, ruffling Hiroki's hair before standing and doing as he was told. "You have a voltage adapter, right?"

"I think I put them in the front pocket of my backpack. That's also where my power cord should be."

After rummaging around in the bag for a minute, Nowaki finally found it. "Got it." Once the laptop was safely placed on the middle of the dresser, Nowaki crossed his arms and thought for a minute. "Where's your phone? You should probably charge that, too."

"I think it's still in my pants pocket…by the way, why did you undress me?" Hiroki mumbled, turning to his side and tucking his knees up to his chest.

"I figured you'd be more comfortable," Nowaki answered breezily, walking over to the hamper. Hiroki hid his flushed face in the spare pillow, listening to Nowaki as he walked about the room. He vaguely heard the phone being plugged in, then a small click as the bedroom became cloaked in darkness.

"Hey, Hiro-san?" Nowaki whispered as he ushered Hiroki beneath the sheets.

"Nnn?"

"Can I ask you a question?" Nowaki slipped beneath the covers and draped an arm over the older man's waist.

"No."

Ignoring Hiroki's tired grumpiness, Nowaki continued, "Do you want to do anything special for Christmas?"

He felt Hiroki's shoulders shrug. "I don't know. We've never done anything before, but…you don't have to work, do you?"

"Well, I have to go in at 9 tomorrow night and work the graveyard shift, which will extend into early Christmas Eve morning, but then I'm off until the 26th. I'm just wondering because Ryan invited us to have dinner with him and his family."

Hiroki frowned, though it was impossible for Nowaki to see. "I don't know if that's a good idea. I'd kind of feel like we were intruding."

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking, too."

"I guess we could do something, though…maybe we could make reservations? Or do you think everything will be booked already?"

"Christmas here is different than in Japan. Most people stay in with their families rather than go out, so we could probably get in somewhere."

"Well, you can pick the place; I don't know any of the good restaurants around here."

After thinking about it for a minute, Nowaki thought of a place. "Oh, we can go to this one place! A couple of my co-workers took me there for my birthday this year, it was delicious…but do you have a tux?"

"Ah, no, because I didn't think I'd need one…crap."

"No big deal, we just can rent one. Hopefully we can get in; I'll call tomorrow and see."

"Okay. What about presents?" Hiroki suggested, reaching back to stroke Nowaki's shin with the heel of his left foot.

"I don't have anything for you, but we can always get something while we're out tomorrow…we can discuss it more in the morning. I know you're tired now."

"I am…" Hiroki trailed off with a sigh, twisting around so he could sink further into his partner's embrace.

Smiling, Nowaki pressed his lips to Hiroki's temple, keeping them there for several long minutes before snuggling into the top of the brunet's head. "Good night, Hiro-san."

"'Night."

"I love you."

"…me too…"

With a wide smile, Nowaki rubbed Hiroki's hip and drifted off into peaceful unconsciousness. The storm had faded momentarily, leaving the apartment so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

_**To be continued…**_

**X X X**

**I had to Google about what Christmas was like in Japan, but if there are any miscues in my explanation, just let me know. It's bound to happen as not every source is as reputable as you'd hope…**

**Please review! I don't like that I get 6 reviews for hundreds of readers…I'd like to get the next chapter posted up before this weekend.**


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